Smoke and Mirrors
by Chaunceytron
Summary: Third in Devil in Plain Sight Series Sam and Dean leave the bunker to investigate a possible reptile man, while Syd engages in a battle of wills with the Devil.
1. Chapter 1

Dan Richards sat in his classroom, grading the rest of his students' papers. The sun had long since went over the horizon, and he looked out of the window and stretched wearily. Just a few more to be done and he could go home. Dan got back to work when he heard a slam of a door from one of the other rooms. The only other person in the building was the janitor.

Deciding that it was just the janitor finishing her rounds, Dan went back to finishing his papers. A loud knock on the door startled him, and he looked up to see one of his students at the door. Aubrey Lin was one of the more popular students, a cheerleader. She usually had a sweet smile on her face, but right now she looked apprehensive and scared.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Richards," Aubrey said tentatively. "I was out in the back by the creek with a few friends, and I lost my necklace. I went back to check, but there was some weird rustling. I got scared and came back. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important." Aubrey's hand was on her chest where her pendant had been this morning. Dan had only noticed it because it had seemed strange; it wasn't common for a girl like her to wear a necklace with such a strange looking pig pendant.

"Back by the creek, huh? Doing something you shouldn't have?" Dan asked her with a raised eyebrow. "You know that area's supposed to be off limits to students. Especially after that young girl was found there."

"That was a month ago. Whoever did that's probably left or gone into hiding by now. We were just hanging out, you know," Aubrey finished awkwardly.

Dan doubted that. He'd heard that some students were taking Ouija boards to the lake, trying to find the identity of the girl's killer. The last of the ungraded papers was still on his desk. It was really dark outside, and there could be potential problems if Aubrey went missing and Dan was the last one to see her.

"Okay, but let me finish my work real quick," Dan said with a smile. "Wait for me by the edge of the woods; don't go in until I get there. It's going to be a few minutes; I need to lock up the room behind me. I'll put my briefcase in my car then meet you."

Aubrey agreed, obviously relieved. She left the room and headed for the side door, and Dan went back to work. Fortunately, she was pretty. Dan smirked to himself as he put the papers into his briefcase. Locking the door behind him, he waved to the janitor.

"Goodbye, Amy. I'm done for the night," Dan called out as Amy returned his wave. He quickly walked out the front door and put his briefcase in his car. He moved his car closer to the woods, just in case, before walking to the edge of tree line. Aubrey was waiting for him by the forest's entrance, looking deeply into the shadows. Dan touched her shoulder, and she jerked away.

"Sorry, Ms. Lin. I didn't mean to scare you," Dan said quickly.

"No problem. I was just thinking about how creepy it is out here at night," she responded with another peek into the darkness.

"Agreed. Where exactly did you lose your necklace?"

"Oh, this way," she said, beginning to lead him into the forest.

Aubrey walked in front of Dan, leading the way with the flashlight on her phone. There was rustling in the brush every once in a while, but Dan figured that it was probably just a raccoon or something. He watched Aubrey move along the path in front of him. This was practically torture. The last girl he'd killed had been much more of a challenge than this. This was far too easy, and that made him wary.

A girl in one of his classes could also be too risky. The last girl had attended the college, but there was no real connection between her and Dan, not after he'd thrown the dead girl's phone into the creek. It'd be too risky to kill this one here. It was only a mile away from where he'd disposed of the last one. Even if no one suspected him directly, they might realize that the killer was on campus, and that would likely hinder his movements.

Aubrey stopped on the edge of the creek and watched Dan get closer. She no longer looked scared and gave him a coy smile.

"I think it might have fallen in," she said before slowly moving closer to the creek. She dug around the reeds for a couple of minutes before shouting, "Oh! I found a phone!"

That grabbed Dan's full attention, and he saw a light shining on Aubrey's face. How could that phone still work? He had thrown it into the water; maybe it had some kind of waterproof case. Anyway, he took out a knife from his back pocket. The phone, and the girl, needed to vanish. Suddenly Dan felt a firm grip on his arm; a tall, angry young man stood beside Dan with his eyes filled with a tranquil fury.

"It's him," the man said, still giving Dan a death glare.

"Oh wow! He had a knife! How scary!" Aubrey shouted with malicious glee.

Dan took a couple steps backwards, yanking his arm from the man's grasp.

"Not so fast, Mr. Richards!" Aubrey insisted. "We have a friend that we'd like for you to meet. He's rather frightening, but he's not all bad. All you need to do is confess to the police, and he'll go away."

"Confess?! To what?" Dan asked, thinking quickly. "I wasn't going to attack you. I just took out my knife to defend myself from your friend here. You don't have anything. That's not even the dead girl's phone. I'm not stupid enough to fall for your tricks."

"Your funeral," Aubrey warned.

Dan could now hear the rustling of something large coming from behind him. He turned around to see a large humanoid creature step from the shadows, but only its shape looked human. Reptilian green scales covered its body, and even its feet looked like a hybrid of human feet and an alligator's. Dan tried to calm his fear. It was likely done by someone from the art department, he thought until it opened its jaws and roared. No one from their art department could have done something like this.

Dan took several steps away from the creature as it stepped forward with malice in its eyes. Turning to run through the creek, his foot caught a patch of mud, and he slid. No longer able to maintain his balance, he fell. There was a loud sound, and Dan could feel a sharp pain. Something wet obscured his vision as it faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

A loud scream reverberated through the bunker, but Sam rolled his eyes and didn't bother to look away from the computer. By now he knew that sound was just Syd and Dean getting into another petty argument. His mother Mary entered the room with her hand covering a smile. Mary didn't like to be at the bunker, but she often stopped by now that Syd was here. Most likely she did so to try to make Syd feel more comfortable. Although Sam doubted that Syd had the social awareness to be uncomfortable, he was happy that Mary was visiting anyway.

It had been a little over a month since Syd had come to live with them. At first Sam and Dean had been worried that the revelation had gotten to her. Finding out that the devil wanted your soul due to his grace becoming fused with it was a hard pill to swallow, but Syd had actually seemed to take it in stride. That actually worried Sam a bit more. He wondered if she was being determined or just burying her worry deep down.

"They're so cute," Mary interrupted Sam's thoughts.

"What are they fighting about now?" Sam asked exasperated.

"You'll see," Mary responded with a mischievous smile.

Dean came into the room wearing his signature robe and tiger paw slippers. Sam tilted his head to the side in confusion when he saw the slippers. Those were not a part of Dean's usual wardrobe.

"Okay, so they look… kind of dorky, but they feel awesome. They're so soft, Sam," Dean announced as a small shadow darted toward him. Syd tackled Dean to the ground unforgivingly.

"Give them back, you baboon-faced bastard!" shouted Syd, stealing back one of the slippers with lightning speed.

"Baboon-faced?! I have the features of an angel!" Dean joked, holding her back from getting the other slipper with one hand on her head.

"You have the features of a turnip!" shouted Syd, trying to be serious. Dean and Syd started laughing, but Syd still tried to get back her other shoe.

Sam couldn't help smiling as he watched them, but he stopped when he noticed that Mary was watching all of them with a smile of her own. Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to the article on the laptop.

"Dean, we might have a case. There have been two bodies found within a mile of each other on a college campus in Michigan. And get this: someone found reptilian-like footprints walking toward the scene, but human prints walking away."

"A shape-shifting dragon?!" Syd asked with excited eyes.

"Dragons are just myths," Mary replied but saw Sam and Dean's expressions. "So they're real, huh?"

"Yeah, but they don't really shape-shift," Dean answered, and Syd looked joyous. "You really run on the fuel of nightmares, don't you?" Dean joked, ruffling Syd's hair. Dean hadn't noticed, but Syd had made a face at the word 'nightmares.'

"I doubt that it's a dragon," Sam admitted. "Stabbing a girl isn't in their MO, and the second victim was a man. The police ruled his death an accident. There was evidence that he tripped."

"Maybe it's the work of the lizard people," Syd replied nonchalantly, having finally gotten back her other slipper. "They've secretly invaded the government and run everything. Dick Cheney is rumored to be one of them."

Sam let out a chuckle as Dean stood up.

"Okay, sounds like our kind of weird. Guess I'll go get dressed, so we can go check out the lizard man. We've got a long drive ahead of us. And, Syd, no more of that 'reddit' stuff for you," Dean ordered as he walked out of the room.

"Aye aye, captain," Syd said as she waved a mock salute.

Mary went to leave the room as well, but before she walked out, she gave Sam a meaningful look. She had seen the look on Syd's face too.

"Um, Syd. Has Lucifer tried to… contact you in any way since you've been here?" Sam asked, and Syd's shoulders tensed.

She thought about something for a moment before she replied hesitantly, "Well… I told Cas, but I made him promise not to tell anyone else. He only agreed on the condition that I tell him everything as it happened… Lucifer's been messing with my dreams."

Sam felt a pang of dread. Lucifer had invaded his dreams before. The first time had been to tell Sam that Sam was Lucifer's true vessel. The other times had been much more sinister, and Lucifer had only been a hallucination then.

"It's not that bad. Once I know I'm dreaming, I can control it to a small degree like summoning holy oil. I've trapped him with holy fire twice now," Syd admitted proudly.

Sam was impressed although cautious and curious. Dream magic was something that they'd dealt with a little before, but it was tricky. "How did you manage that?"

"Dreams that you can control are 'lucid dreams.' You basically have to trigger them by realizing that it's all a dream. I've done it before. I read something, look away, and then read it again. If it's changed, it's a dream. I can also kind of… 'will' myself awake. I just concentrate on waking up, and it happens."

"Didn't Castiel put some spells on you to prevent him from entering your dreams?"

"Cas says those don't work because he's using his grace to weasel his way into my head, but he did say something about a potion. I'm assuming that he left to find ingredients."

Sam looked at Syd more closely; the area around her eyes was darker. Despite what she said, she was clearly having trouble getting sleep. Sam knew the kind of trouble she could be in if they let this go on for too long. Lack of sleep had once landed Sam in a mental hospital.

"Listen. Dean and I have got this one. You need to get more sleep."

"I get enough sleep… but I'll try to take it easy. Just call me if you need me; I'll keep my phone nearby."

Sam nodded, but he knew that he wouldn't call her unless absolutely necessary. As he walked out to the car, he saw Dean already dressed and ready to go.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" Dean asked. "Syd beg you to come along?"

Sam sighed before getting in the car; they had plenty of time to talk on their 13 hour car ride.


	3. Chapter 3

The library was quiet, just the way Syd liked it. She breathed a sigh of relief and went back to reading a book called 'Controlling Your Dreams.' The title seemed promising at least. Taking a seat at one of the tables, she let herself relax. She had tried to get some sleep a few hours after Sam left, but she'd been too on edge. It had actually been a few days since she'd last seen Lucifer in her dreams. Even without Lucifer's interference, she'd had trouble getting more than few hours of fitful sleep at a time. Now even her dreams made her feel on edge; she always felt like someone was watching her despite never seeing Lucifer. She'd try to sleep again in a few hours, but right now she just wanted to do research.

The echo of footsteps approaching made Syd put the book down. She apprehensively looked at the doorway to see Mary Winchester walking into the room.

"Sorry. Am I bothering you?" Mary asked.

"No, sorry. I'm just a bit on edge lately."

"No problem," Mary replied with a gentle smile. She took a seat in front of Syd. "You know what might help… getting some rest, huh?" Mary's eyes had a mischievous glint in them.

"I said that I'd take it easy," argued Syd. "Sam needs to be more careful with his words. I am the child of a lawyer after all; loopholes are my specialty." Truthfully, Syd just didn't want to admit that she couldn't sleep; that seemed more frightening to her… as though it'd make it more real.

Mary laughed at Syd's words and looked like she wanted to say something more, but Syd interrupted her.

"I'm sorry. I may be out of line for saying this but… you don't really look comfortable staying here," Syd said bluntly. "If you're here for Sam and Dean, that's great, but if you're hanging around here for my benefit, please don't."

Mary looked like Syd had slapped her. Syd felt bad about her choice of words, but it needed saying.

"I look uncomfortable?"

"It's more like body language… or a feeling, I guess. I'm not saying that I don't like you or anything," amended Syd quickly, struggling to find the right words. "I just don't like the idea of someone going that far out of their way for my benefit. I like it… when you're here, but I don't want you to feel like you have to be." Syd felt her face flush, and she was suddenly very self-conscious of her words. She was never really very good at articulating her feelings without it being awkward.

Suddenly she found herself scooped up in a gentle embrace. Syd hadn't noticed Mary stand due to her flustered rambling, but Mary had walked over and given her a hug. Syd was stiff at first, but she soon relaxed.

"Thank you. I won't come by as often, but I promise I'll be back soon. Please look after my boys," Mary whispered. She let go of Syd and continued, "And take care of yourself first. Get some rest."

Syd nodded, and Mary left the room. The footsteps faded away until Syd was alone in silence. Picking up her book she tried to finish where she'd left off. Her vision was blurred, and her head began to ache. Sleep was probably all she needed, but still she hesitated.

Syd took an aspirin before walking back to her room; Holly greeted her with a small meow from the bed. Syd crawled into the bed and felt Holly curl up beside her and start to purr. If Lucifer decided to invade her dreams again, she'd just have to deal with him. Syd felt her body slowly relax as she focused on Holly's purr. The world became fuzzy around her, and soon after she closed her eyes, she drifted to sleep.

Syd was standing on her grandma's old porch; the house was the one in Shenandoah. Taking a breath of fresh mountain air, she wondered why she was here. Suddenly, she remembered. Sam had called her on a case since she knew the area. Syd briefly wondered where he went.

"Syd!" Sam called from inside the house, answering Syd's question.

Syd started to walk towards his voice when she saw a book laying on the table. She opened it and quickly read the first paragraph. After closing the book, she opened the book and read the first paragraph again. She couldn't remember the exact wording, but she knew it was different. The air now seemed to carry a sense of unease. Lucifer was here, but she couldn't tell where.

"Syd?!" Sam called out again, and Syd rushed towards him. She didn't know if Lucifer had found her yet and needed Sam to be quiet.

"I'm here. Don't shout so loud. I think we're being watched," Syd whispered.

"Who's watching us? The demons?" Sam asked quietly.

"No… I can just feel it," Syd said. Sam was watching her with an odd look on his face but seemed to quietly accept it. Should she tell Sam that this was a dream or see how things played out? For now, she'd just go with it. Dream Sam probably wouldn't believe her anyway, and she could always just wake herself up if things got too dangerous. It had worked the last few times, and the sense of dread had toned down since she'd found Dream Sam.

Sam pointed to the house down below and said, "Can you see that light on? It wasn't on before. Do you think he went down there?"

Syd nodded in agreement. Staying in her mind's recreation of her grandma's old house would be comforting, but Lucifer would likely find her there. Sam and Syd stealthily walked out the side door and crept down the incline. Soon they were close enough to see a shadow in the window. Syd started to sneak closer. The blinds were down making it difficult for her to see inside. Sam grabbed her arm, causing a shiver to go down her spine.

"What if it's a trap?"

"I'll go around to the side of the house and try to get inside through the back. You wait a few minutes and go in the front. That way it's harder for someone to catch us both, and I'll be able to warn you if it's a trap," Syd reasoned.

Sam seemed to think it over before nodding his head. Syd slowly crept around the cabin, half-expecting a demon to leap out at her at any moment.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucifer waited at the front of the cabin for Syd to go in through the back. Disguising himself as Sam had been an excellent idea. Syd hadn't revealed anything too personal with him yet, but the 'third time's the charm.' Waiting for Syd to find Dream Dean, he wondered how long he could keep up this charade. Acting like Sam was easier than acting like Castiel or Dean, but it was still challenging.

Lucifer still didn't hear any screaming. Surely the sight of Dean's mangled corpse would get some kind of reaction from Syd, but there was nothing but silence. Lucifer quickly walked through the front door and saw that the back porch's door was still latched from the outside, meaning that Syd had never even tried to get inside. She must have realized that something was wrong.

Lucifer was disappointed; he'd thought that he'd played Sam perfectly. He'd also been hoping for it to last a little longer, maybe get a tearful Syd to cry on his shoulder. There was a bright side. Although Syd had gotten away from him, she couldn't get out of the dream the same way as before. Lucifer's spell prevented that. The only way for her to escape now would be for Lucifer to drop his guard or get captured in holy fire, and he wasn't going to allow that to happen again.

Lucifer quickly walked outside to the back to investigate. There was a small path with a few broken branches; Syd had likely gone that way. Lucifer decided to keep Sam's appearance; he may be able to at least convince her to drop her guard. His lips curled into wicked smile. A little game of cat and mouse could also be fun. He quietly crept around the underbrush as he searched.

Syd was bent over in a clearing, carefully spreading holy oil in a circle around herself. A twig snapped beneath Lucifer's feet, so Lucifer quickly teleported himself behind her as she straightened herself and looked to where she heard the sound. He grabbed her right hand, which held a lighter; his left hand caught her other arm and pinned it around her waist, causing her to drop the holy oil. A small sound of indignation escaped her, and Lucifer let out a chuckle.

"Not quick enough, Syd. I do love the effort though, but this is the third time you've used this particular trick. I was honestly hoping for something a little more… creative," Lucifer whispered into her ear.

Syd tried to yank herself out of his grip, but he easily held onto her. Suddenly she stopped, and Lucifer could practically see the wheels spinning in her mind. He really didn't mind staying this close to her; he actually found that he liked it. The scent of honeysuckle teased him as he pulled her close.

"I just want to talk to you. After all, you left so abruptly, and my heart was broken by your rejection. That was cruel, Syd. To tease me like that. I do have feelings."

Syd scoffed and tried to pull away again, but Lucifer only pulled her closer.

"We have a very special bond," Lucifer crooned playfully. "You know it's true. I mean, we're practically soul mates." Lucifer could feel Syd growing more and more tense, but he felt too exhilarated at finally having Syd in his grasp to care.

"You don't even have a soul!" Syd snapped at him before finally yanking herself from his grasp.

Lucifer let her go. What could she do? He wasn't even standing inside the circle, and it wasn't even complete. Syd dropped the now lit lighter and ran for the trees. Lucifer went to follow her, but he was trapped. The circle he'd seen her make was one of many, and they were bound together in a chain of holy light.

"Is that creative enough for you?" Syd asked with a smirk.

Lucifer stood there shocked for a few moments before another emotion took over. Laughter soon shook his body. She had gotten him again, and although it did irritate him, he was thoroughly impressed. Lucifer gave Syd a genuine smile, which seemed to unnerve her, and she took a step back.

"Exactly! Well done! But enough with the games, Syd," he said with a leer. "You know as well as I do that I will find you, so why not make it easier for the both of us? Come with me willingly, and I'll give you anything you could want."

"Except freedom," Syd countered.

"There's a price to pay for everything."

"I have a better offer. I'm looking for a way to separate your grace from my soul. You leave me alone, so I can focus. And I'll make sure you get your grace back. Deal?"

Lucifer laughed again, which seemed to irritate Syd.

"Why would I want that?"

"Why wouldn't you? Because you want to use my soul as some kind of power generator?" Syd asked angrily. "This way we can both get something we want and go our separate ways."

Lucifer stopped laughing and stared at her. He couldn't figure out why he was feeling so furious at those words, but all he wanted now was to lock Syd away where she could never get away. Syd must have realized that he wouldn't agree to her plan and put her hand on her head.

"Fine. Be that way. I'll figure it out by myself."

"I'll spare the Winchesters if you come with me. At least Dean, right? You don't seem to care about Sam as much," Lucifer goaded her, waiting for a reaction. The fire would burn out, and she'd be in his grasp again. He just needed her to stay long enough.

Syd looked at him angrily before replying, "I know what you're doing. It won't work. In fact, I actually feel sorry for you and how empty you must be inside."

Lucifer just smiled at her and said, "I'll take pity… as long as you come to me."

Syd rolled her eyes before closing them and concentrating. She was going to get away.

"I really hate to say this, but if I can't have you, Syd, I'll make sure that no one else ever will."


	5. Chapter 5

Dean stared at the impression of the footprint. He really couldn't tell if it was real or fake. The only reason he'd accepted this case so quickly was so that Syd could have the bunker to herself for a little while; he'd noticed that she'd seemed tired lately. Sam had told Dean on the way over about Lucifer worming his way into Syd's head, and then they'd taken turns driving. Dean now just wanted to get this case over with. Was it really okay to leave Syd by herself at a time like this? But like Sam had said, what could they do?

"So you think whatever made this is real?" Sam asked the lab tech, bringing Dean back to reality.

"I think this is super weird. I can't really explain it. If this was faked, they did an impressive job. There were even skin samples left behind, and the testing showed that they were human but… mutated," the lab tech explained warily as if even she couldn't explain the results.

"Like X-Men mutation or Resident Evil?" Dean joked.

"Both? Neither? Look, all I know is what I can draw from the evidence at both scenes. Rose Williams was stabbed, and Dan Richards' head was impacted by the rock causing intracranial hemorrhage. Mr. Richards died from an accident. Very different causes of death, so I'm curious to why you think these cases are linked at all."

"Just following every lead, Ma'am," Dean replied with a charming smile.

The lab tech blushed but waved them away, devoting her time to the task at hand.

Sam and Dean left the station with no real clues to what this creature was or even if there was one. Dean's phone began to ring; it was Cas.

"Hey, Cas, did you find anything?" Dean asked, hoping for good news.

"I found a concoction that will keep Lucifer out of her dreams long enough for her to get some rest, but it's only a temporary solution, Dean. She can't take it every night, or she'll develop a tolerance to it. Then it won't have any effect. I'm at the bunker now."

"Is Syd okay?" Dean got into the Impala with Sam and put the phone on speaker.

"She's currently got most of the bunker's books on the tables. She asked me what a 'holy fire Molotov cocktail' would do to Lucifer."

"Okay, wow. Atta girl. So I think it's safe to say that Syd had another one of Lucifer's nightmares."

"Yes. Apparently Lucifer disguised himself as Sam to catch her 'off-guard.'"

Dean and Sam met each other's eyes. Dean could tell that Sam was furious, but Sam managed to keep himself composed.

"Did he try to get any information out of her?" Sam asked.

"Syd says that she figured out that he wasn't Sam pretty quickly. Apparently Lucifer doesn't have the 'Winchester charm.'"

Dean and Sam couldn't help but laugh at that. Syd seemed to be holding up pretty well, despite the circumstances.

"She then said something about a 'holy hand grenade,' but that must not be an angelic weapon."

"Don't worry, Cas. It's just a movie reference," Dean explained with another laugh.

"Ah, okay. That explains it," Cas said quickly. "I heard that you are out on a case. Do you need any help?"

"No, we got this," Sam replied. "Just stay with Syd, and try to get her to take it easy. We don't want her to get too stressed out. She's the only one who can defend herself from Lucifer at the moment, so she needs to focus on that."

Cas agreed and hung up the phone. Dean put his phone in the cup holder before turning to Sam.

"So what next?"

"So I'm thinking that I should go back to the motel and do some research while you interview the janitor. We still don't know enough about what we're facing," Sam explained.

"Wait," Dean replied confusedly. "Why didn't you just ask Cas? Even if he didn't know what it is, he'd help do the research."

"Yeah, I know, but what do you think Syd would do if she saw Cas researching something else? She'd probably drop what she's currently doing to focus on that, and that's exactly what we need to avoid. Plus I'd rather have someone focused on Syd right now."

Dean agreed even though he wouldn't admit it. Admitting how dangerous it was for Syd right now would make it seem more real. Lucifer wasn't the kind of guy to take 'no' as an answer. They needed to find a way to protect Syd from Lucifer, but Dean wasn't sure how they'd accomplish that.

"Hey, Dean," Sam said, startling Dean.

"What?"

"When we do get back to the bunker, we should focus on Syd for at least a little while. I only wanted to go on this case because she hadn't told me about Lucifer yet. And if I'd cancelled the case to focus on her, she'd have probably kept whatever else happened to herself. I don't want her to end up like I was."

Dean knew that Sam was referring to the time when Sam had been plagued by hallucinations. It had gotten so bad that Sam had admitted himself to a mental hospital. Dean's hands gripped the wheel harder in frustration.

"Don't worry, Sam. We'll figure this out. Syd's tough. She's probably already figured out another trick for Lucifer."

Dean dropped Sam off at the motel and drove to the janitor's address on the information sheet. After he parked the car, he walked to the front door and rang the bell. A small, older woman opened the door. She looked confused when she saw him.

"Hello, Mrs. Jones. I'm Agent Perkins. May I talk to you about when you last saw Mr. Richards?"

"Oh, dear. I believe there's been some kind of mix-up," the woman said bewilderedly.

"Excuse me, but what do you mean by 'mix-up'?"

"Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Jones, no-mix up. This is my partner," a man with dark eyes and a mischievous smile said, walking toward the front door. Sean, the Gancanagh, gave the woman a special smile, and Dean watched her practically melt.

Dean gritted his teeth but gave her a small smile as well.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam could hear Dean arguing outside and got up from his research to quickly open the door. To his surprise, Dean stood there with Sean, a fairy that they had met about a month ago. They continued arguing as Dean entered the house, ignoring a very confused Sam. Sean stayed at the doorway.

"Well, come in. We don't have all day," Dean ordered as Sean begrudgingly entered the motel.

Sam looked back and forth between them; there was clearly some tension. Sean had helped them destroy a murderous cauldron before vanishing, but Dean clearly didn't trust him.

"Um, so, Sean… what are you doing here?" Sam asked trying to get between the two of them. Sean being here likely meant that there actually was a case here. Sam had been unable to find anything on the area or its lore that included a reference to a reptilian monster.

"Besides getting in the way and romancing old ladies?" Dean said angrily.

"I can't help that I'm so attractive, Dean," Sean retorted cattily. "And I wasn't getting in your way. You got the information that you wanted and probably more than you would have gotten had I not been there. It's not my fault you don't have any charm."

"Syd said that Winchesters have a special charm," Dean retorted angrily.

"Sydney did?" Sean glared at Dean. "She was probably just being kind."

"So what are you doing here then?" Sam asked quickly, trying to diffuse the situation before it escalated.

"The Tribunal was impressed with my work, so I was asked to find two Fae relics that were stolen recently. You two actually know the leprechaun who stole them."

"So what are these relics? What do they do? Are they like the cauldron?"

"I'm looking for a mirror and a spear. The mirror seems to be what's causing trouble here. It's known as the Mirror of Souls. In fairy hands, it can mutate or even change a human's soul."

"What about in human hands?"

"That depends on the human. I told you before about how dangerous our relics are in human hands. Well, it's not just dangerous to the human using it. Basically the object can physically alter a human, not just the soul."

"So if the human believes it can change them into a monster…" Sam wondered out loud.

"Then they become a monster. Yes. I suspect it's to blame for the weird prints at the creek, and that means at least one human's already using it."

"So you just want to bring it to the Tribunal? No ulterior motives?" Sam asked warily.

"Yes and no. I want to bring it back to where it belongs, but I figured that you'd have a use for it as well. My mother told me about Sydney. Help me find it, and there's a chance I can remove Lucifer's grace."

"And you're just planning on helping us out of the goodness of your heart?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"Not to help you. I owe Sydney. She helped save my mother, and I don't like owing anyone."

Sam noticed a slight blush on Sean's cheeks; the fairy seemed to be telling the truth.

"How do we find it? Don't you have a spell to find fairy objects?" Sam asked.

Sean looked annoyed but explained, "I was only able to find the cauldron because I had something of its previous wielder. I don't have that option now, so I need help to find it the 'old fashioned' way. Huh, 'partner'?" Sean gave Dean an impish look.

Sam interrupted Dean, "So what did the janitor say?"

"She was full of praises for the teacher. He stayed after hours to work a lot. She said the last one to talk to him besides her was a student."

"Aubrey Lin. I asked around earlier and she was caught on camera, entering the building but not leaving. Apparently there aren't any cameras on the side doors at the moment. Some kind of technical issue," Sean finished, giving Dean a joyful look at one-upping him. "She's probably on campus now, so we should quit wasting time."

"Wait! No. we can't have you running around a college campus causing trouble," Dean argued, and Sam could see his point. Part of a Gancanagh's powers came from his ability to charm human women.

Sean sighed and pulled up a necklace from beneath his shirt. "The Tribunal seems to think the same way. This is my leash; I can't use my powers of persuasion with this. Women just like me, Dean. Is that so hard to believe?" Sean smirked at Dean.

Dean scoffed and looked at Sam for agreement, but Sam was actually enjoying someone agitating Dean. Usually it was just Dean agitating Sam.

"Okay then," Dean said when he realized that Sam wasn't going to help him out. "Let's go look for this Audrey."

"I'll just meet you there," Sean said as he walked back out the door. "I've had enough of your speeding, metal coffin for today."

Sam quickly put on his jacket before following Dean to the car. The car ride to campus was mostly quiet with Dean quietly steaming as he drove. Finally as they approached the large buildings on the campus, Dean couldn't help himself.

"Why is he so damn…?!" Dean trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

"Competitive?"

"Exactly!"

"Did you talk about Syd on the way to the motel?"

"Um… maybe. Why?" Dean asked, looking confused.

"I think he has a crush on her," Sam explained with a smile.

"On who? Syd?" Dean laughed. "No, I think he's just an arrogant ass."

Sam rolled his eyes. Either Dean didn't see it or he didn't want to see it. Sean had gotten too defensive at the motel for it to be nothing. They found the main building and had to find a parking spot. After paying the meter, they saw Sean encircled by a group of fawning girls.

"Yeah, sure, Sam. He definitely likes Syd," Dean muttered sarcastically as they walked toward Sean. "Let's get this over with."


	7. Chapter 7

The woods had finally cleared of police officers, but May still avoided marked off areas as she quickly navigated the woods. The spot was further down the creek from where Mr. Richards had met his grisly end. May closed her eyes and concentrated as she said the incantation to summon the leprechaun. Within moments she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hello there. Something wrong?" a middle-aged man stood behind her with an unsettling smirk on his face.

"You know what's wrong, don't you? He wasn't supposed to die, just confess. Nadir is really broken up about it; he thinks that it's his fault. We checked over the area before we set everything up. There weren't any rocks before. Did you do something?!" May whispered angrily.

"Maylene, dear, now why would I bother killing a human? Are you absolutely sure that no mistakes were made on your end?" the man asked with a cold edge to his voice. His eyes seemed to almost glow as he stared May down.

May looked away. Nadir had left footprints on the scene. They were too terrified by what had happened to think clearly and had left evidence behind.

"There are hunters here now: Sam and Dean Winchester," the leprechaun uttered their names with spite. "They're incredibly dangerous. Dean once roasted a fairy sprite alive in a microwave. I'd be worried about your friends' safety if I were you."

"What about you?"

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be leaving. No sense in getting killed by those buffoons when I can still run."

"So you're taking the mirror? What about us?"

"So what about you? You knew the deal when I told you about the mirror. You even tricked your dead sister's friends into helping you with that Ouija board trick. Clever, deceitful girl. I'm sure you can think of some way to save your friends." The leprechaun stopped and thought for a moment. "Well, I can lend you the mirror so long as you distract them long enough for me to get away."

May's eyes lit up with the promise of holding the mirror again. It had been calling to her ever since they used it.

"Okay, but how long do I need to distract them?"

"Just for tonight. I can disappear pretty quickly when I have the need to," the leprechaun said nonchalantly. "And if you manage to kill them, you can even have the mirror. So do we have a deal?"

May struggled with her conscience. On one hand having the mirror would allow her to finish her plan, but this would be murder. As good as it felt to watch her sister's murderer die, she had still felt wicked. The only thing allowing her to live normally was the fact that she hadn't planned for him to die, but if she was to complete her plan, living normally would probably be beyond her anyways.

"Yes," she said firmly. "I'll deal with them."

The man smiled with fake warmness before replying, "Good."

May felt a little sick to her stomach but knew that those 'hunters' would likely try to kill her sister's friends once they knew what they could do or what they had done. She watched the leprechaun disappear from her view, but she knew he was still around, observing. She began to slowly walk back to the campus, planning how to get others to help her with the plan.

Nadir would refuse to do it, and May felt that it would be better if he wasn't involved. If anyone found more of his tracks, then there'd be even more hunters trying to kill them. The leprechaun had warned her of how dangerous hunters could be, and May knew that she couldn't take them down alone. Ben would also refuse to help on principle, so she wouldn't even ask him.

May knew that Mark or Aubrey would likely help her, but they tended to be wild cards. Aubrey was more malicious and hot-headed than Mark, and she'd be easier to talk into killing the hunters. However, Aubrey might go on a rampage and hurt other people; she was the least in control of her other form. Mark was the only one of the group, who'd been May's friend as well as her sister Meredith's, so he'd be most likely to help her if she needed it. But how far would he go? Would he kill two people? Mark's form was the strongest in terms of raw power, and it'd be a great advantage.

A loud snapping sound to her left caught her attention, and she jumped into the air.

"It's okay. It's just me," Mark whispered. "There are some FBI agents looking for Aubrey. I can't find her, but someone needs to warn her."

"She's probably out at the skate park, skipping class. And those aren't FBI agents."

"They look pretty official to me."

"Remember what I told you about hunters?"

"Those guys are hunters? Wow. Okay, we just have to stay in human forms until they leave. Aubrey will tell them some sob story, and they'll leave none the wiser."

"It's not that simple. They probably have some sort of spell that can reveal who we are. Maybe even make us change."

"Crap!" Mark muttered looking panicked. "What do we do? Run?"

"No, we need to…," she trailed off as she gave him a meaningful glance.

"No, May! Just no. Mr. Richards was an accident. That would be cold-blooded murder!"

"WE will be the ones murdered if we don't," May explained. "You think if we ran, they wouldn't follow?"

"Did the mystery man tell you that much?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb, May. I've seen you meet him. He's the real person who gave you the mirror, didn't he?"

May nodded but looked at Mark pleadingly. "Yes, and he told me what sickos they are. Please. If we don't kill them, we're dead."

Mark put his hands on his head as though he had a migraine.

"Once we do this, it's over. No more lies! And we first try to scare them off. If that doesn't work… we'll do what we need to do. I'll go get them to meet us here tonight. I'll think of something, but after this is over, May… I can't believe you. Using your sister's death to fool us. That's sick, May."

May watched Mark walk out of the woods. She'd never seen him this angry, but as long as she stuck to the plan, she'd get what she wanted.


	8. Chapter 8

That college kid had asked Sam and Dean to meet him in the woods after dark. He had said that he needed to tell them something. Dean felt that just screamed trap, but since they couldn't find Aubrey, Dean figured it was all they had. Who knew? Maybe the kid saw something. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to make sure that no one could overhear. It was just Dean and Sam going into the woods. Sean had ditched them earlier for his new friends; at least Dean could stay focused on the task at hand.

"We should stick to weapons that don't make a lot of noise. I heard that the campus has been more on guard lately, and we're really close. I'll bring a gun just in case though; we'll just have to run if we use it," Dean explained quietly, and Sam nodded in agreement.

Dean had parked the car at the other side of the forest. They'd have to walk more, but the campus lot was being monitored. The forest was dark and foreboding as Dean approached it. Sam was behind him, making sure that no one sneaked up on them from the rear. The forest had seemed lively and pleasant during the day, but at night every shadow could hide monster. After walking a ways, they reached the creek. The kid wasn't here yet, but maybe he had never planned to show up. It could just be part of some college prank.

They looked around the area, trying to find any clues. All that was there were empty beer cans and other trash. There were no real clues to who the 'animal-transformer' was or how they did it. Dean found one the original footprints in the mud; they were big. Dean briefly wondered if he should have brought a bigger gun than the pistol. It was too late now, so he just made sure to have his machete on hand.

A scream echoed through the night. It sounded like a woman's scream. Dean looked at Sam for confirmation, but Sam was already edging his way through the forest toward the scream. Dean quickly followed with a machete ready. They noticed ripped clothing was scattered around the forest floor. There was no blood anywhere, so the person was probably still alive. Dean was really starting to think that it was all an elaborate prank until he saw the golden eyes staring at him from the darkness.

Jumping to the right, Dean quickly avoided being caught in the creature's razor sharp claws. As the creature stepped out into the moonlight from the darkness, Dean groaned in horror. The creature looked like a severely deformed mountain lion. Its forearms were muscular with huge claws, but it was the face that scared Dean the most. It looked like some unholy mixture of a cougar's and a human's. It let out a yowl as Dean took a defensive stance.

"Were-cougar, eh? That's a new one," Dean said as he held the blade out in front of him.

The creature hissed, and Dean heard a loud thud as something else leapt out at him from behind. Dean quickly jerked away, and it hit a tree instead. Dean quickly slashed at the were-cougar to keep it from joining in. He cut the beast's shoulder causing it to cry out in pain.

Dean could see the new creature clearly now, and it was even more terrifying. The closest thing Dean could compare it to was a bear with mange, although that didn't completely describe it. Its face was still human-looking, but that only made it look more wrong. Dean realized that it looked like the kid that had told them to meet him here, so this was all a trap. Dean cursed under his breath. He wished that they'd brought more ammo.

The were-bear attacked them again, enraged, but Sam threw a knife into its shoulder causing it to step back and roar. The were-cougar hissed and sprang forward to bite Sam, but he dodged. Dean swung the machete down at the were-cougar but missed. It was too fast.

The creatures faded into the shadows. Dean couldn't see them clearly, but he heard the rustling in the forest around them. Dean didn't want to use the gun unless he was absolutely sure that he could get a good shot at them. Growls resonated from the darkness, and Dean and Sam prepared themselves for the next attack. There was a loud screech of pain as the were-bear came hurtling out of the forest into a tree. Soon the were-cougar followed in the same fashion.

Sean stepped out of the shadows with a smug smile.

"Hurry up! Let's go! We don't have all night," Sean said before taking off towards where Sam and Dean parked the car.

Dean and Sam quickly ran behind him. They could hear the creatures getting back up behind them. Sean led the way out in front; Dean had taken out the gun to defend them from the back. As they neared the car, Dean fired a round to keep them at bay.

Even Sean got into the car without a complaint, and Dean floored it to get them out of there quickly.

"How'd you do that?" Dean demanded.

"A thank you would suffice," Sean replied smugly. "But if you must know, my kind has superior strength. You shouldn't have taken off without me."

"You were busy playing Romeo," Dean snapped back.

"I was asking them about Aubrey. They were a part of her cheerleading group."

"How did you find us?" Sam asked before Dean could get in another snarky response.

"I wasn't trying to. After I couldn't find you, I decided to go back to the woods and see if I could find anything you'd missed. How lucky for you."

"Yeah, lucky."

"You're welcome, Dean."

"So that was definitely caused by the mirror?"

"I believe so. So what do we do next?"

"Well, after I kick in the head of the bastard who lured us here, we find out where the others are," Dean said then paused to think. "Actually we ask before I kick some ass."


	9. Chapter 9

The light of the computer helped to illuminate the room as Syd worked. Syd was currently working on putting the card index into the computer system, so that the books would be easier to find. She picked up one of the cards that read 'The Science of Deduction.' That sounded like a strange choice for the underground monster hunters to have laying around, but she typed it into the system anyways. As she put the card face down, she felt strange. She glanced back at the card. It now read 'The Art of Seduction.'

"Wait, what?" Syd asked, trying to figure out what just happened.

"Now that's more like it," a voice murmured into her ear. Syd leapt out of the chair and faced the intruder. Lucifer stood beside the computer with a hand on the chair. The door seemed farther away than ever as she raced towards it. She pulled on the handle, but it was locked from the outside. Lucifer didn't move to stop her, so she pressed her back to the door and looked for an escape route.

"Can't we just sit and relax? I may have been a bit too hasty last time," Lucifer said. His smile was restrained, but his eyes shimmered with glee.

Closing her eyes, Syd tried to focus on waking up, but she opened her eyes to Lucifer's dark eyes looking directly into hers. His hands were on the door on either side of her, and Syd knew that he would grab her if she tried to run.

"We don't have anything to discuss," Syd replied evenly although she felt like screaming. "You rejected my offer; I rejected yours. What's there to talk about?"

"I feel like we both said some things we didn't mean, and I'm ready to work things out," Lucifer said, leaning close to Syd.

"Like how you were going to kill the Winchesters?" Syd asked, putting a hand on his chest to push him further away.

Anger flashed across Lucifer's face, but he quickly changed it to a smile. "Well, I meant that. You don't know how annoying they can be." Her pushing him away only seemed to make Lucifer want to get closer to her. Syd suspected that was to perturb her and put on a brave face.

"Then what part did you 'not mean'?"

"Well, I told the truth. I was just being a bit melodramatic. Although I do think that you really need to reconsider my offer." His eyes briefly glanced at her lips, and he went silent. Lucifer's face was now mere inches from Syd's, and the atmosphere in the room began to change.

Flustered, Syd quickly ducked out of his grasp and took a few steps backward until her foot caught on a chair. She fell to the ground. Lucifer walked over and offered her his hand. Syd grabbed one of the chairs to upright herself when he grabbed her arm and pulled her into an embrace.

"What is it you want most?" Lucifer whispered into her ear.

Syd was stuck in place with his hands on her back. Her face felt red hot, and her words seemed to die in her throat. She had put her hands on his chest, trying to once again push him away, but he was immovable. Syd started to panic as she felt his breath on her neck and one of his hands moved slowly down her back.

"Stop! Please," she pleaded, and to her surprise Lucifer froze.

"Just tell me what you want. You have to want something," Lucifer insisted.

Syd was at a loss for words until she heard someone faintly calling her name.

"Castiel?" she murmured as she felt herself abruptly wake up.

She was in the library, safe and sound. Castiel was looking at her with worry. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep while reading," Syd said, sitting up.

Cas placed a vial of suspiciously purple liquid on the counter before he replied, "This should keep Lucifer from getting inside your dreams. You can't take it every night but…"

"But it's better than nothing. Thanks, Cas," Syd said with a relieved smile.

Cas returned her smile and looked at the mess around them. Syd had been looking into dream lore while Cas put together the potion. Most of the books she hadn't touched were stacked neatly, but the ones closest to her were opened to specific pages.

"You can leave them. I won't mess with them. I'll just look through the ones you haven't gotten to yet," Cas said as he picked up one of the books. He went to leave when Syd unintentionally grabbed his sleeve.

Her face went red as she realized what she'd done, and she started to stammer. "I was just thinking that maybe I should just sleep in here just in case…"

Cas looked at her before replying, "Sleeping in a chair is bad for humans. It would be better to sleep in your bed. I'll take a chair and read while you sleep. That way I'll know if you're in trouble. Besides Dean says it's creepy to watch people while they sleep."

Syd laughed relieved but still embarrassed.

"I want to watch 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' while I try to sleep to sleep. Having the TV on relaxes me," Syd admitted. "Would you mind watching it with me?"

"Not at all," Cas replied with a smile. "Sounds interesting."

Syd took the vial and walked to her room. Holly greeted her as she walked inside, and Syd put her on the bed. Cas came in with a chair and the book. After the movie was over or Syd was asleep, he'd likely start reading. Syd started the movie and drank what was in the vial. It wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. She settled into bed, and the last thing she saw Castiel's face intently watching the TV as the world around her faded.


	10. Chapter 10

Demons were scrambling around the corridors to avoid Lucifer now. He'd been in a foul mood after being slammed from Syd's dreams. The demons had found the ranger, but no one had any idea how to find Syd. Lucifer sat on his throne and concentrated. He could tell that Syd was asleep, but he was being blocked somehow. As he opened his eyes, he noticed a demon waiting for him.

"What?" he asked abruptly.

"The ranger has been captured and is waiting for you," she answered.

"Good," Lucifer replied coolly. He really couldn't care any less about the ranger at the moment. Syd had not just escaped him; she'd rejected him as well. Lucifer didn't know what to do at this point. He'd tried being ruthless, being seductive, and being truthful. Nothing worked.

"Sir, if I can help you with anything further, please just let me know," the demon said, interrupting his thoughts.

Lucifer scoffed before realizing that the demon might be able to help him figure something out. All demons had once been human; maybe this one could figure out what he needed to do. He wrestled with his pride before finally caving in to his desire. Lifting himself from his throne, he walked to the demon. He put his hands on either side of her and leaned in close. "I do have one question. Hypothetically, if I tried to kiss you right now, what would you do?"

"Yes! I'd say 'yes,'" the demon said enthusiastically before seeing his smirk. "Hypothetically of course."

"So if someone pushed me away, what would that mean?"

The demon seemed to be at a loss for words but then said, "I don't see how that could happen. Even for a human, that vessel is incredibly hot. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Well, that vessel could just not be their type. Maybe they have someone they love."

Lucifer felt an odd sensation. It was neither of those reasons, he concluded. Syd had seemed at the very least flustered by him, and unless she was closer to the Winchesters than he believed, she didn't seem to have someone special.

The demon thought for a second before continuing, "Or I suppose they could just be awkward or bad with affection."

That must be it, Lucifer thought to himself. He'd just have to be more patient. While he didn't like that avenue, it was better than a brick wall. He dismissed the demon, feeling much better than before. Whatever trick Castiel had used; it wouldn't last long. Soon Lucifer would be able to get back into her dreams once more.

Lucifer walked to the dungeons with pep in his step. As he neared where the ranger had been held, he'd noticed that the ranger had seen better days. The demons had been instructed to keep him alive, but perhaps Lucifer should have been clearer in his instructions.

"Hello there, Mr. Ranger. Sorry about all the… unpleasantness," Lucifer said. "All I wanted was that spell book that your brother tried to use against me. You know, drain my powers? Ring a bell? Well, you can see why I can't have that fall into the wrong hands."

The ranger looked at Lucifer with his one good eye before turning away.

"I burned that book," the ranger said with a tone of great sorrow. "It was far too dangerous. For witches or hunters."

Lucifer tried not to let out a sigh of relief. The ranger appeared to be telling the truth. Now what would Lucifer do with him. Killing the ranger might be more kind than allowing the demons to get him; the ranger had killed several of them before they managed to catch him. To be honest Lucifer was impressed with the man's tenacity. Having a witch around could be useful, but he'd have to see what the ranger was planning first.

"So was that all that you were trying to do? Get rid of the evidence of what your family did," Lucifer pointed out. The ranger winced, but Lucifer continued, "Because you know those spells are your family's doing."

"I don't think my family created them," the ranger protested. "But those spells are what got my parents killed, and now my brother… he wasn't originally like that. The magic changed him. I'm done with them. I don't care what happens to me anymore. Killing me would be a mercy at this point."

Lucifer thought it over before replying, "Perhaps. But as an archangel, I can resurrect your brother. You'll have to do some favors for me first and keep your brother on a very short leash."

The ranger's eyes lit up with hope before he looked at Lucifer skeptically. "What would I have to do?"

Lucifer checked to make sure that no one was around the prison. The demons had left him and the captive alone. He kept his voice low as he spoke, "You see one of those girls from the cabin has something that I need. The Winchester brothers took her, and I need you to find her for me."

"What do you plan on doing with the girl?" the ranger asked warily.

"You have my word that I and my demons will not harm her," Lucifer promised. "I'll even make it a part of an iron-clad deal between us. If you find her and give her to me, I'll give you back your brother. Deal?"

"What happens if you break your side of the deal and hurt the girl after you get her?"

"I won't, but if it makes you feel better, we can write our deal in blood. If you defy me, you die. If I hurt the girl, I get sealed away."

Lucifer held out his hand to the ranger. The ranger hesitated before shaking his hand. There was an intense pain, and the ranger winced. Burned into their hand was the Enochian symbol for bond. There was no going back now. Lucifer left the room and ordered the demons to free the ranger. He hid a smile as he walked back to the throne room.

The bunker was sealed against unnatural forces finding it; he wondered how the ranger would fare. As he sat down, he relaxed in silence. Finally things were getting back on track.


	11. Chapter 11

May's wounds had mostly healed. It seemed that the mirror quickened the healing process of wounds while they were transformed. She wrapped more bandages around her arm; that should be sufficient for her to do what she needed to do. Luckily Mark's shoulder had almost completely healed, so he let her use his bathroom. They had fled to his house after their encounter with the hunters. The leprechaun had told her about the two of them; it was the third one that had caught her by surprise. That one had seemed to have some sort of super strength.

May gave the bathroom a cursory glance; all traces of blood had been cleaned up. She checked out the window. It was still early morning. Light was peeking over the horizon, and May took a moment to look at the scenery. Early morning had once been her favorite time of day, but the beauty of the world just didn't seem to affect her anymore. May turned off the light before walking out of the bathroom.

Mark wasn't waiting in his bedroom, so May walked down the stairs to look for him. She should at least say goodbye. Mark was standing in his living room talking to someone. As May entered the room, it went quiet. Aubrey and Ben sat on the couch, while Mark and Nadir were standing side by side. Everyone's eyes narrowed in on May as she took in the room.

"Hey?" May asked with a confused smile. Mark hadn't said anything about a meet up.

"Mark says that you have something to tell us," Nadir said apprehensively.

"Yeah, what happened to you guys? Did you have fun without me?" Aubrey said with a wicked smile. Ben nudged her but said nothing.

"I need to tell you guys something?" May asked with a sharp glance at Mark.

Mark met her gaze with ferocity and responded, "Yes, May. They deserve the truth, and I do too. You know, about that man who gave you the mirror? I heard more in the forest than I told you, May. I didn't catch much, but he said that he'd let you have the mirror for something. What are you hiding from us?"

"Wait, the man who gave her the mirror? We saw that thing rise from the creek," Aubrey pointed out.

"Some kind of magic trick. The Ouija board was too. Wasn't it, May?"

May looked into Mark's accusing eyes. She was actually astounded at how calm she was. She'd known about him listening when he had mentioned May using her sister's death to fool everyone. But Mark had gone with her plan, so she hadn't felt the need to say anything. If she pretended not to know what he was talking about and let out a few tears, the others might believe her, but it wasn't likely. Air rushed out of her lungs in a long sigh; she was actually really tired of this.

"Yes, Mark's right. I've been lying to you," May admitted wearily. "But I didn't think you'd believe that a leprechaun gave me access to a magic mirror." May paused to let out a snide little laugh. "I didn't even really believe it. Besides I don't see why you're mad. I gave you all of the benefits. Now you're special. Didn't you guys say that we're 'like a creepy form of the Power Rangers'? Didn't you want to 'use your powers for good'? You can still do that. Don't pretend you're any worse off now."

"We killed someone! Mr. Richards is dead because of us, because of me!" Nadir cried out. "Did you want him to die?! Was that your plan?"

"No," May replied firmly. "I wanted to make him suffer, but do you really feel bad for that murderer? He killed Meredith. He chased her down, stabbed her, and then watched her die. What I wanted was for him to suffocate in a jail cell, knowing that he could never do that to someone else, but I won't feel guilty for his death. He's not worth that." May was surprised that she could talk about all of this so coldly. Talking about her sister usually caused her to start crying, but right now everything just seemed cold and empty.

"I can't believe you! You used us! Look at her eyes! It's like she doesn't even feel guilty!" shouted Aubrey, lunging for May, but Ben held her back.

"Why should I feel guilty? Or is that perhaps what you and Mark should be feeling? If it wasn't for you two, my sister might still be alive."

Aubrey let out a scream of rage and lunged for May again, but Ben kept her in his arms.

"What do you mean by that, May? You can't mean that," Ben said calmly. "You know Mark and Aubrey loved your sister."

"Yeah, it's too bad they loved each other more," May snapped back, and Mark looked like she'd physically hit him. "I know what happened between you two. Mere left me a voicemail. She was destroyed by her boyfriend and her best friend and needed me, but I wasn't even in town. So she went to talk to her favorite professor and boom dead."

"I need some air. I really just can't handle all of… this right now," Nadir suddenly interjected as he breezed past May to the front door.

"Hey, Nadir!" Mark called out, and Nadir froze. "There are hunters out in the woods with knives and guns. That's how we got injured. Be careful."

Nadir nodded before stepping out the door and pulling it shut behind him.

"Look, May, you know we never meant for that to happen," Mark said with his eyes pleading for forgiveness.

Ben quickly spoke up before May could, "Let's all take a break for today. We'll meet again tomorrow when we've had time to think things over."

Audrey looked like she wanted to continue the fight but stopped when she saw the look on Ben's face. Even Audrey, Ben's childhood friend, wasn't crazy enough to challenge Ben directly. Ben was the calmest of the group but also the largest. Even his other form was giant, May noted, glancing warily at the moose pendant.

"Fine," May agreed haughtily and left the house. She had wasted enough time. Mirrors sat in the back of her pickup truck, covered in a grey tarp. Her stepfather would be coming home around ten, which didn't give her a whole lot of time to prepare. Her lips curled into a smile of wicked satisfaction before driving home.


	12. Chapter 12

It had started to get windy outside, and Sam wished that he had brought his coat. Sam and Dean were staking out the woods, while Sean went to find Aubrey's friends. They assumed that it was too risky for the college students to transform during the day, but the 'furry friends' might use this area to meet up in secret. There was a rustling in the bushes behind Sam, and he turned around to see a college guy wearing an alligator pendant which gave Sam pause. The guy had his hands raised and walked slowly toward Sam.

"Wait there!" Sam called out. "Who are you?"

"My name's Nadir. I'm sorry for startling you," Nadir brushed back jet black hair from his eyes and genuinely looked apologetic. "I just thought we could talk. But you should know that if you attack me people will hear. We're really close to campus."

Dean marched out of the woods to Sam's left and cornered the poor guy against a section of trees.

"What? Don't want to fight us now that it's light out?" Dean asked angrily.

"Fight? No. You guys attacked the others, right?" Nadir looked from Sam back to Dean, confused. "I just wanted you to know that I'm the reason Mr. Richards is dead. Please don't hurt the others. I can explain what happened."

"They were the ones who came at us, claws swinging," Dean argued.

"What? Really?" Nadir asked; his confusion looked genuine.

"Mr. Richards died from a fall," Sam told Nadir. "What did you do?"

"It was an accident. We didn't see that rock until he fell. He killed Meredith! She was my friend… and May's little sister. We didn't have enough proof though, so we tried to scare him into confessing."

"And how do you know he killed her?" Dean asked with a skeptical glare.

"May… used us," Nadir said wretchedly. "She had an Ouija board and tricked us into believing we were talking with her sister; the Ouija board spelled out his name. May looked so scared at the time that I didn't question it."

"And you just believed that?"

"When a mirror magically rises out of the creek on cue, I kind of gave it a little credibility. After that Aubrey lured him here and 'found' a phone that looked like Meredith's by the water. I didn't really believe it was him until he took out the knife, then I just transformed on impulse."

"He saw you, freaked out, then slipped, and that's how he died," Sam pieced together, but there was still one thing that didn't fit. "You said that the mirror came out of the creek?"

"Yeah, it was super weird. It just started floating up from the bottom. We each reached inside, and it gave us one of these." Nadir pointed to his pendant. "May later told us that she got it from a leprechaun, which is even weirder. Look, Meredith was a great friend, caring and kind. Mr. Richards didn't deserve to die, but he did deserve to rot in prison. The only evidence we could get was circumstantial at best, and we thought we could scare him into confessing. At least for the sake of his own sanity."

Sam watched Nadir carefully. He looked like an honest guy, who'd just made some poor decisions, and Sam couldn't help but empathize with the guy.

"So why were your buddies trying to maul us?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"We thought you wanted to kill us," the guy who had lured them into the woods before stepped out of the shadows.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Mark?!" Nadir shouted angrily at Mark. "You couldn't have just tried talking to them first? Like I'm doing right now?"

"Well, I didn't expect you to do something this stupid. What would have happened if they really wanted you dead?" Mark snapped back.

Nadir fumed silently for a few seconds before taking off his pendant and giving it to Sam along with a business card. "Here. I'm done. If you have more questions, feel free to call me. If not, I'm done with all of this." Nadir walked away angrily.

Sam could see that Dean's full attention had already focused on Mark, and Dean was eyeing him warily. Mark took off his pendant and threw it to Sam before he put his hands up in a nonthreatening position.

"I'm sorry about last night," Mark said.

"Sorry doesn't always make something right," Dean interjected angrily.

"I know. I was just trying to protect my friends," Mark pleaded. "May lied to me too. I was just trying to scare you off."

"Uh-huh. Right-o," Dean said disbelievingly.

"Look, May's been acting different since we used the mirror. At first I thought it was just Meredith's… death, but now I think it's something different."

"Acting different how?" Dean asked and gave Sam a look. If May had the mirror, the leprechaun could have done something with her soul before he gave it to her.

"She's been really cold. I don't know how to describe it. I know that she got into a really big fight with her stepfather. The police were called and everything. I think she might try to attack him or something; she was headed that way when she left."

"You sure she wasn't just going home?"

"I'm sure. She lives with her dad on the other side of town now; she wouldn't go that way to get to any school buildings either."

"Got an address?" Sam asked walking over to him and handing him the card.

Mark quickly wrote down the address on the back of the card. His face looked guilt-ridden, but Sam felt like they didn't have the time to get the whole story.

Sam and Dean quickly walked back to the Impala to see Sean waiting nearby. He noticed them approaching and got up from the grass.

"Got a lead?" Sean asked with a shrewd smile.

"We got something," Dean growled in reply before getting in the car and shutting the door.


	13. Chapter 13

The house in front of them looked like any other house in the neighborhood; it even had white fences. However, Dean wasn't fooled. Some of the nicest looking homes could hide the darkest secrets. There were two cars parked in the driveway, but no one seemed to be inside. Dean checked the front door, and the door opened. In Dean's experience, an unlocked front door was never a good sign.

Dean quickly walked inside, scanning the front rooms. He looked back to the front door and noticed that Sean was still outside. Sean locked eyes with Dean and shrugged.

"I can't enter without an invitation," Sean explained wearily.

"What are you? Some kind of fairy vampire?" Dean hissed irritably then remembered who Sean's mother was as Sean glared at him. "Oh, right. Well, come on in."

"Not from you," Sean sighed. "I need an invitation from someone who lives here. Doubt I'm going to get that though. I'll just see if I can find anything from the outside."

Dean shook his head and motioned for Sam to look in the back of the house. Carefully walking into the office of the house, Dean quickly checked to make sure nothing was out of place.

"Hey, Dean," Sam said from the office doorway. "I found a note on one of the tables. 'Meet me in the shed, Jack. We have something to talk about.'"

"Uh oh," Dean muttered. Dean dashed to the back door of the house. As he ran out the door, he could hear Sam close the door behind him. The backyard contained a small koi pond and a large shed. The shed doors wouldn't budge as Sam and Dean tried to pull them apart. The shed's windows were blocked, but Dean could hear whimpering on the other side of the door. Someone was in there and in pain.

"Hey," Sean said by the side of the shed and waved for Sam and Dean to follow him. Dean followed him behind the shed to see the body of a young girl on the ground clutching a mirror.

"What happened?" Sam whispered.

"I think she used the mirror with some kind of spell. Different kinds of fairy objects have different kinds of effects on the humans using them. The cauldron stirred up the user's desire until it burned them from within, but the mirror feeds off the user's soul depending on how much they use it."

"So how bad off is she?" Dean asked.

"Her entire soul is almost absorbed into the mirror. I assume that's the price for whatever she's doing in there."

There was now sobbing sounds coming from the shed.

"Is there some way to stop her?" Sam asked.

"Breaking the mirror would do the trick. It's much more fragile than the cauldron, and even just a rock would break it. But…" Sean trailed off.

"But then you can't use it to help Syd," Sam finished hopelessly as Sean nodded.

Sean looked to be deep in thought and proposed, "If we let this play out, the girl would lose her soul, but her body would be fine. She'd just live without a soul. Unfortunately she'd still be able shapeshift though."

Dean did not like the sound of that. A soulless mastermind with the ability to turn into a monster just sounded like even more trouble, but the mirror was the only thing that was capable of removing Lucifer's grace from Syd's soul. If they broke it, there might not be another way to help Syd.

"Is there any other option?" Sam pleaded.

"Well… you're not going to like it," Sean responded hesitantly.

"What? What is it?" Dean whispered.

"We would have to kill the girl. Her death would sever the connection, and her soul would be freed. Likely not to heaven but I bet purgatory is a bit better than being trapped inside a mirror for all of eternity."

"Don't count on that," Dean growled irritably, and Sean gave him a curious look. Dean stood there trying to make a decision. Killing the girl wasn't an option, but neither was allowing her to roam around as a soulless werecat. But Syd needed the mirror.

Sean's interrupted Dean's trail of thoughts, "What would Syd choose?"

"What?"

"If Syd were in this position, what would she choose? The mirror or the girl's soul?"

"How should I know?" Dean protested, but he knew the answer. As irritating and spiteful as Syd could be, she wasn't selfish. Dean locked eyes with Sam; Sam was clearly thinking the same thing.

Sean seemed to read the answer from Dean's face. With lightning speed, Sean snatched up a rock and slammed it against the mirror. There was a crack, and the mirror shattered. Dean heard the doors to the shed open and ran towards them.

A middle-aged man with greying hair stepped out of the shed with his hands covering his face. The man, Jack, must have heard Dean approach, and he lifted his head up. Jack's eyes were oozing out of his head, and his face was covered in scratches and blood. Sam called 911 for the man, while Dean checked out the shed. The walls were covered with mirrors with bloodied hand prints on some of them. They had likely saved the girl from becoming the next Bloody Mary, or in this case Bloody May.

"Help! I need help!" Jack whimpered.

Suddenly there was a cry of pain from behind the shed, and Sam finished with the call. May bolted past them as they ran to check. Dean and Sam found Sean with a shard of the mirror sticking out of her side. As Sam rushed to help Sean, Dean got out his phone.

"No human doctors," Sean said with a wince. "A human doctor will only make it worse for me. It looks worse than it is. I'll likely just need a few days of rest.

Sam gave Dean a meaningful glance, and Dean begrudgingly nodded. Sean would stay with them in the bunker for the next few days. Sean instructed Dean to get the mirror as Sam helped him stand.

"All the pieces, Dean," Sean ordered. "Don't miss any."

Dean sighed as he picked up the pieces of the mirror and headed to the car.


	14. Chapter 14

Syd had been feeling more energized by her night of Lucifer-free sleep but knew that tonight she probably wouldn't get as much rest. Sam had called that morning to tell her that they were on their way back… with an injured Gancanagh. Sean would be staying with them for a few days, so Syd had made sure that one of the rooms was set up to accommodate him.

Wondering why Sean had even been near Sam and Dean in the first place, Syd heard footsteps approaching. Syd opened the door, so Sam could help Sean into the room. Dean walked in behind Sam carrying a broken mirror with a bloody shard on top. Syd raised her eyebrow at Dean, who mouthed back 'Later.' Syd assumed that was the best she could get for now. She looked back to Sean and noticed how bloody the bandages were.

"Those need to be changed," Syd told Sam. "Do you need help bringing anything inside?"

"No, we got it, but if you could help him, that'd be great."

"Okay," Syd responded and noticed Dean glare at Sam.

Syd walked out the room and grabbed the gauze, a plastic bag, and tape. As she walked back inside Sean's room, she noticed that Sam and Dean had left. They were likely hauling in whatever else they'd brought with them. Sean was sitting up on the bed with his eyes closed. Syd took a deep breath and walked in the room. She'd been dealing with Lucifer for the past month; she could deal with a fairy.

Sean's eyes fluttered open as Syd got closer. He winced as he moved to a position where Syd could easily remove the blood-soaked bandages. Syd carefully started to pull off the bandages, trying not to cause him too much pain. Sean winced a few times but didn't say anything.

Syd put the used bandage into the plastic bag before continuing. The wound was a burning red, but it looked better than Syd had expected. As she carefully disinfected the wound, she noticed Sean grip the bed in pain. She quickly applied the gauze and taped it down.

"There all done," Syd said briefly admiring her work.

Sean nodded, and Syd helped him to lie down on the bed. His breathing seemed to be better. Syd started to leave and check on Sam and Dean when she heard him speak.

"I'm sorry," Sean whispered from the bed.

"Sorry? Why?"

"The mirror… it could have freed you from Lucifer's grace. I broke it."

"Out of spite?" Syd asked carefully.

"No! No… the girl using it… fairy objects don't work well in human hands."

Syd remembered what Dean had told her about Randy, the musician who had used the cauldron, and understood what Sean was getting at. The girl's life had probably been in danger. Syd was actually a bit surprised that Sean had broken a likely valuable fairy object to save the life of a human. Sean looked pleadingly at her.

"It's okay. I understand," Syd assured him. "I mean, it sucks, but it's not like I had my hopes up or anything. I didn't even know about it until you told me. Plus I've managed to dodge Lucifer pretty well."

Sean breathed a sigh of relief but suddenly tensed.

"What about Lucifer? Has he been here?" Sean asked almost sitting up but failing.

Syd walked over and helped him sit up. He was probably afraid of the devil attacking them while they slept.

"No, he can't get in the bunker," Syd said soothingly. "He's just having fun messing with my head. My dreams, specifically. You should be fine. You need to get some rest."

Sean shook his head and said, "I didn't know that. If I did…"

"Look. I'm completely okay with what you did. Actually I'm a bit impressed. I wouldn't have expected you to choose a human's life over what was probably an important relic."

Sean looked a little embarrassed and said, "I just did what I thought you would do. I didn't want to have to endure your rage if the girl died. Although… I didn't expect her to stab me."

"How ungrateful of her," Syd proclaimed, half-jokingly.

"Yeah, thanks," Sean laughed a little and winced. His wound was likely still causing him a lot of pain. Getting stabbed by a piece of an enchanted mirror did not sound like fun. Syd helped him lie back down and started to leave again when Sean grabbed her hand.

"Could you stay nearby for a little while?" Sean asked with a small, beseeching smile.

Syd blushed a little and nodded, remembering that she'd done something similar to Cas last night. She excused herself to get a book and chair and came back into the room. While waiting for Sean to fall asleep, she sat in the chair and did some research on Enochian symbols.

"So… you think I'm impressive?" Sean asked jokingly. He was lying on the bed giving her a teasing smirk.

Syd regretted her choice of words now and replied, "Go to sleep, Sean. There are plenty of pillows in here to smother you with. Don't tempt me."

"How mean," Sean replied tiredly.

Syd watched as he closed his eyes and his breathing grew softer. She picked her book back up and continued reading. It was likely that the potion wouldn't work for tonight, and she needed a plan. Maybe she could ward off a space so that Lucifer couldn't get to her, but she'd have to memorize the sigils. Syd wouldn't let Lucifer toy with her so easily a third time.


	15. Chapter 15

The morning air was crisp and cool. It felt so much better to be out in the open than in that bunker Sean noted as he looked around. It was still early in the morning, so he assumed the others wouldn't be awake yet. His stroll ended abruptly with him finding a small pond. Taking out a knife, he cut him finger as he muttered an incantation. The water instantly stilled and became like glass. A beautiful but stern face appeared on the surface.

"Have you found the mirror or the spear yet?" the face asked austerely.

"I found the mirror, Your Majesty. It got broken during the recovery," Sean reported tentatively. He was unsure of how the Tribunal, particularly Oberon, would take that fact, but at the time it had seemed like the right thing to do.

Oberon sighed heavily, "Broken? But at least it's no longer in human hands."

"No, Your Majesty. I'm currently keeping it safe in the Winchester's bunker. It's heavily warded, and they don't have any use for it broken."

"Good. The Winchesters, huh? You're quite friendly with those hunters, aren't you?"

"Not particularly," Sean mumbled. "They just happened to be working the same case. I can probably talk them into helping me find the spear. That thieving leprechaun wants them dead, so as long as I stick to them, I may be able to capture him as well as find the spear."

"That sounds like a good plan. What about the girl?"

Sean felt a knot in the pit of his stomach; he didn't like where this was going.

"Do you mean Sydney?" Sean asked hesitantly. "She's in the bunker too."

"Hmm," Oberon's face looked thoughtful. "Wouldn't it be safer for her to be brought to our land? Lucifer would have much more trouble finding her here."

"The bunker actually has pretty incredible wards in place. I doubt we could keep her much safer. But, Your Highness, if you don't mind me asking, why would you want her brought to you?"

Oberon's face lit up, and he replied, "Well, because it's interesting, of course. A human with angelic grace. A little different from a nephilim… And she could be a threat to us."

"Your Majesty, she doesn't seem to be the kind of person to attack others without a reason," Sean defended her.

"Maybe not, but Lucifer most certainly is. As soon as he gets ahold of her, who knows what that sociopath will do. Hopefully he'd stick to killing the humans, but we need to be prepared or avoid that happening all together."

"But if Lucifer finds out that we took her, wouldn't he just attack us anyway?" Sean pointed out, hoping this would deter Oberon. Sean didn't think that Oberon would hurt Syd, but he honestly didn't think he could convince her go to Avalon willingly.

"You have a point. I think we could keep him away, but it's best not to poke the bear just yet," Oberon agreed solemnly.

"So I'll just stick with the Winchesters until we find the spear," Sean announced.

"Good. And try to convince that girl to come here. I'm really curious to see what kind of human she is."

Sean nodded, even though he knew for a fact Syd would outright refuse. Oberon's face disappeared from the pond, and the water became fluid again.

Sean quickly walked back to the bunker. He didn't want the Winchesters to get more suspicious of him than they already were. The truth would probably earn him some points with Sam; he seemed to be the more trusting of the two. Dean however wouldn't be happy to hear that Sean had contacted the Tribunal; Dean seemed to have a strange amount of fear for the Fae.

As Sean approached the bunker, he saw Sam standing outside. Sam's arms were crossed, and he stared at Sean skeptically. The truth would clearly be his better option.

"I had to get away from the bunker. Too many sigils to contact the Tribunal," Sean explained carefully.

Sam seemed to sense the truth and responded, "What did they say? I bet they weren't too happy that the mirror was broken."

"More despondent than angry. It's still better than having it being used maliciously. I still have a spear to find."

Sam nodded and walked back into the bunker with Sean following behind him. Sean was actually impressed with the bunker, particularly the library; he just would refuse to admit it. Sean walked by Syd's room and paused for a second. The door opened, and Syd almost crashed into him in a sleepy daze.

"Oh, sorry," Syd apologized with a yawn. Syd was dressed in a T-shirt and pajama pants; clearly she had just woken up. There was a small meow in the room behind her as she shut the door. "Shhh, Holly."

Syd quickly walked to the kitchen; her tiger paw slippers made Sean almost laugh. Sean continued to the library to look around at the books. Maybe there was something he could use to find the spear in here, but Sean knew the Winchesters likely wouldn't want him snooping around. Sam was sitting at a table in the library and looked up when Sean entered.

"So about the spear? What does it do to humans?" Sam asked.

Sean sighed, "The leprechaun is not likely to give away the spear. It makes the person wielding it 'invincible in battle.'"

"Oh, that's not good," Sam said wearily. "And he's probably none too happy with us. Why don't we work together on this one instead of getting in each other's way? You should be resting here anyway." Sam raised his eyebrow at Sean using a chair to help him stand.

"Sure, thanks," Sean said tiredly and started to walk back to the room. This was going much better than he'd thought it would.


End file.
